Stone Massing Concepts [Group work]

After gathering together our initial thoughts as a group, we needed to explore our various ideas in greater depth. To do this, we made massing models using the stones we collected (see them sorted into a draft taxonomy here). This was a way of not only using abstract masses to generally organise different spaces, but … Continue reading Stone Massing Concepts [Group work] →

Taxonomy of Stoniness [Attempt 1]

The above booklet contains my group's initial attempt at a 'Taxonomy of Stoniness' - that is, a systematic categorisation of the rocks we had all collected. This had to be done in a way that was useful to our project. We first attempted to sort the rocks by their geological type - igneous, sedimentary or … Continue reading Taxonomy of Stoniness [Attempt 1] →

Discussion Forum: Groupwork

This discussion forum centers about Amin Taha and his architecture practice Groupwork, whose construction on 15 Clerkenwell Close has been dubbed London's (most recent) "most controversial building". The saga centers around Taha's choice of stone facade, which was deemed unacceptable by the Islington Council - a legal battle ensued. The following resources were provided to … Continue reading Discussion Forum: Groupwork →

Atmospheric Exploration

My explorative atmospheric images leading up to Mid-Semester Crit: Abstract interpretation of an atmospheric gradient from 'anxious and surveilled' to 'boredom and isolation' Busy foyer space of constant movement Busy foyer space of constant movement 2 Boredom in an individual rehearsal space: isolation, mystery, pious Individual rehearsal space: exploring the effect of dark stone Anxiety … Continue reading Atmospheric Exploration →

Concept Exploration [Individual]

Draft Concept Exploration The following are some quick concept explorations that I produced in preparation for Daven and I's scheme for Mid-Semester Crit. These examine different configurations of a foyer with moveable walls, the concept of a glazed 'maze', an amphitheatre, a black box theatre, and individual practice rooms, all within a mostly-linear gradient of … Continue reading Concept Exploration [Individual] →

Initial Ideas (Part 2): Coming Together as a Group

Following on from the work completed individually, my group met to discuss our initial responses to the brief. Our ideas melded surprisingly well: there were several conceptual similarities between our ideas in terms of how we approached the anxiety/boredom theme of the brief, and each person had new details to add. The precedents that we … Continue reading Initial Ideas (Part 2): Coming Together as a Group →

Two Precedents

Looking at precedents is a key part of the architectural design process. While particularly crucial for us as students, I imagine that the importance of this process continues into practice, and is relevant for all types of 'making'. It is invaluable to see how ideas similar to your own can be executed in reality, and … Continue reading Two Precedents →

A Basic Colloquial Guide to Four Theatre Theorists

“Emptiness was a starting point, not for its own sake, but to help to discover each time what was really essential to support the richness of the actor’s words and presence.”Peter Brook Having the most experience in theatre out of my group, both in a practical and academic sense, I put together a sort of … Continue reading A Basic Colloquial Guide to Four Theatre Theorists →

Initial Ideas

Having selected our brief and established our group, we individually worked on relaying our initial ideas onto paper. This was an important step, as we could sort through and consider our own thoughts first (and make these visible) without becoming muddled in an explosion of ideas in group discussion. This also made it easier to … Continue reading Initial Ideas →